Safety-razor.



J. N. LORENZEN.

SAFETY RAZOR.

APPLIOATION IILED JAN. 28, 1911.

1,024,348. Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

INVENTOR affigwm g 2% JENS 1\T. LORENZEN, OF FREMONT, OHIO.

SAFETY-RAZOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 23, 1912.

Application filed January 28, 1911. Serial No. 605,311.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JENs N. LoRnNzEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fremont, in the county of Sandusky and State of Ohio, haveinvented a new and useful Safety-Razor, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has reference to improvements in safety razors, and itsobject is to provide a razor of few parts adapted to firmly hold waferblades without the use of corner guards or springs, and provide areinforcing receiving member for the edge of the blade remote from thecutting .edge, which reinforcement coacts with the head of the razor tolock the blade in position, there being no necessity of providing theblades with permanently attached reinforcing backs, the reinforcementforming part of the body of the razor being all that is necessary.

The invention will. be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing cletailed description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, with theunderstand-- ing, however, that while the drawings illustrate theinvention in practical form, it may be otherwise embodied, withoutmaterial departure from the salient features of the in vention, and,therefore, the invention is not confined to exact conformity to theshowing of the drawings.

In the drawings:Figure 1 is a perspective view of the improved safetyrazor. Fig. 2 is a central longitudinal section thereof with some partsshown in elevation. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but with therazor blade and holder removed. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of theblade holder as viewed from below. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of awafer blade adapted to the present invention, the thickness of the bladebeing exaggerated for clearness of illustration.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a handle 1 preferably made oftwo sections united together by a threaded stem 2 entering a threadedsocket in the corresponding end of the other section, so that the handlemay be made long or short as desired by the user. The handle 1terminates in a shank 3 preferably formed in the socketed handle member,and this shank is bent to form an angle extension 4 terminating in ashoulder 5 and rivet extension 6, the shoulder 5 forming a seat for aplate 7 which at an intermediate point is depressed, as indicated at- 8,for the reception of the rivet extension 6, which after insertionthrough a suitable perjforation in the depressed portion 8 is headed tounite the plate 7 firmly to the angle ex- .tension 4 of the shank 3, theplate resting on the shoulder 5. Que edge of the plate 7 is formed witha slotted guard 9 bent at an angle, as is customary in holders forsafety razor blades. The other edge of the plate 7 is formed with aflange 10 bent away from the blade receiving face of the plate, and atthe ends of the plate the flange 10 is provided with continuations 11returned on the flange in spaced relation thereto and extending adistance beyond the plane of the blade receiving face of the plate 7,these extenappropriate gage to provide the requisite stiffness, whilethe extensions 11 of the flange 10 are of appropriate length to possessmoderate elasticity in order that when a force is applied to theoutturned margins 12, the extensions 11 will spring slightly away fromthe adjacent edge of the plate 7, but will retain the normal tendency toreturn to their original positions.

The plate 7 is designed to receive a blade 13, shown separately in Fig.5, this blade being what is customarily known as a wafer blade of thinsteel, sharpened at one edge 14, while the rest of the blade is ofsubstantially even thickness throughout. This blade is received in aholder 15, best shown in Fig. 4, said holder comprising a plate 16 whichmay have one edge 17 of ornamental shape if so desired, while the otheredge is formed with extensions or tongues 18 returned on the plate 16 toconstitute clips, and spaced therefrom a sufficient distance to graspthe blade 18 when introduced between the clips and the plate 16, thelatter being sufficiently extended beyond the clips to overlie thegreater portion of the blade, while the other face of the blade and theclips 18 are desi ned to rest upon the surface of the plate 7, thethickness of the clips 18 raising the corresponding edge of the blade,which may be termed the rear edge of the blade, from the surface of thePlate 7.

Between the clips 18, which arespaced apart a distance equal to thespacing apart of the tongues or extensions 11, there is formed a tongue19 at approximately right angles to the plate 7 and projecting therefromon the same side as the clips 18. This tongue is formed with an insetportion 20 and a finger piece 21 beyond the inset portion, the insetportion 20 being so shaped and spaced from the plate 16 that when theholder is in position upon the plate 7, the inset portion 20 willunderride the corresponding edge of the flange 10 between the extensions11. The relation of the inset portion 20 to the clips 18 is such thatwhen the holder 15 is applied to the plate 7 with the razor blade 13grasped by the clips 18, the inset portion 20 will first engage theouter face of the flange 10 between the extensions 11 with theconnecting portions between the clips 18 and the plate 16, theseconnecting portions being suitably rounded for the purpose, engaging theoutturned edges 12 of the extensions 11. Now, when a force is applied tothe holder 15 tending to move'it toward the plate 7, the extensions 11will yield in a direction away from the plate 7 until the inset portion20 will first engage the outer of the flange 10, when the spring of theextensions 11 will cause the approach of the tongue 19 toward the flange10, but the shape of the inset portion 20 is such that the tongue 19does not reach the fiange lO, but is held therefrom by the inset portion20, so that the extensions 11 are still under tension and bear withappropriate force against the junction portions of the clips 18 andplate 16. This serves to lock the blade holder to the plate 7 with thecutting edge 14 of the blade in proper relation to the guard 9; and therelation of the parts may be such that the cutting edge is held inengagement with the guard with considerable force but without injury tothe cutting edge.

When it is desired to remove the blade, it is only necessary to applyforce to the finger piece 21 in a direction to force the holder 15 awayfrom the plate 7 when the elasticity of the extension 11 will permit theinset 20 of the tongue 19 to escape from beneath the flange 10, thusreleasing the holder 15, which will then beremoved from the body of therazor and the blade 13 may be then withdrawn from the holder for storageor sharpening, or for the purpose of inserting a new blade.

It is to be observed that there are no springs in the ordinary sense ofthe term used in this device, and that the razor holder and thesupporting plate are the only parts employed to hold the razor blade,all side guards being omitted, since the holder is self centering,because of the tongue-19 and the extensions 11 between which it fits.Furthermore, the blade 13 may fit easily in the holder 15, but is firmlyheld therein when the holder has been applied to the plate or support 7,because of the elastic gripping action of the inset 20 of the tongue 19and of the extensions 11 of the plate or holder 7.

The divisible handle 1 adapts the razor holder to different conditions,as, for instance, when shaving under the chin with the grain, for ahandle of normal length would interfere with such shaving, but byremoving the outer section of the handle, that is, the section remotefrom the holder 7, the handle is made sufficiently short topermit orfacilitate such shaving operation, while for shaving other parts of theface the removed section of the handle may be replaced.

lVhile the extensions 11 have been described as elastic, this is notmandatory, since an elasticity of the tongue 19 will answer the purpose,so that the elasticity may reside in the extensions 11, or in the tongue19, or in both, this elastic feature being readily made obtainable,since the parts are usually made of sheet metal, which may be readilycut out and bent into appropriate shape.

Vhatis claimed is r 1. In a safety razor, a blade support having ahandle fast thereto, and a blade holder readily attachable to andseparable from the blade support and adapted to receive a wafer blade,the blade holder being provided with a locking member and the bladesupport being provided with a coacting locking portion into engagementwith which the locking member of the blade holder is movable in adirection substantially perpendicular to the plane of the blade support,

the locking member on the blade holder and the coacting locking portionof the blade support constituting the sole locking means for holding theblade holder and blade to the blade support.

2. In a safety razor, a blade support having a handle permanently fastthereto and provided with a guard at one edge and spaced extensions atthe other edge constituting abutments, and a blade holder adaptedto'receive a wafer blade and provided with a tongue projecting therefromintermediate ofthe length of the blade holder and at an angle thereto,theblade holder with its tongue coacting with the abutments and with ablade in said holder to constitute the sole locking means for holdingthe blade and blade holder to the blade support.

3. In a safety razor, a blade support having one edge provided with aflange with spaced extensions thereon returned on the flange andterminating beyond the active face of the support, and a holder for arazor blade having a tongue adapted to the space between the extensionsof the flange of the support, said blade holder and its tongue coactingwith the flange and flange extensions of the support to lock the holderwith a blade to the support.

4. A safety razor having a blade support in the form of a plate providedat one edge with a guard and at the other edge with a flange directedaway from the active face of the support and formed with returnextensions in spaced relation to the flange and to each other andterminating in outturned edges beyond the active face of the support,and a blade holder comprising a plate having spaced return portionsconstituting clips for grasping the blade, said plate having formedthereon intermediate of the clips a tongue with an inset portion, saidblade holder coacting with the return extensions of the flange of theblade support to lock the blade holder to the support by the insetportion of the flange of the blade holder.

5. In a safety razor, a blade holder comprising a body portion providedwith clips returned on the body portion to embrace the edge of the bladeremote from the cutting edge thereof when the blade is in the holderwith the cutting edge projecting therefrom and a blade support forreceiving the blade holder and a blade therein with the cutting portionof the blade in engagement with said support and with the rear edge ofthe blade spaced by the clips from the support, the blade holder beingprovided with a depending elastic locking means contiguous to and on thesame side of the holder as the clips for engaging the blade support tose cure the blade holder and blade to the support.

6. In a safety razor, a blade support comprising a plate having a guardat one edge and at the other edge provided with a flange directed awayfrom the active face of the support, said flange being provided withspaced extensions returned on the flange in spaced relation thereto andof greater length than the width of the flange, said extensionsterminating in outturned portions, and a blade holder provided withspaced clips for retaining a wafer blade, and an intermediate latchmember coacting with the flange and said extensions to lock the holderin place, said latch member also coacting with the returned portions ofthe flange to center the blade holder with relation to the bladesupport.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoaflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JENS N. LORENZEN.

Witnesses:

W. L. HUNT, DUCKE J OHANNSEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of latents, Washington, D. G."

